Jump Then Fall
by TheMultiFandomFangirl
Summary: Someone from Sam's recent past turns up in Lima. Based on Taylor Swift songs and stars an OC.
1. chapter one

**I'm using these first two chapters as, like, a pilot I guess. You know on tv where they show an episode and if it gets a good response they'll continue the show? Yeah, like that. So if you like this so far and want more, please let me know!**

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**{Avery's POV}**

I've always hated being the new girl. This wasn't the first time. No, I was actually pretty used to being the new girl. I was in junior year now, and I'd already been to at least five schools. I always tried to not get too close to people. It's not like I completely shut out anyone who tried to be my friend, I just tried not to get invested in them. My parents were like modern hippies. They were a part of a travelling eco-friendly campaign. A lot of the people in the campaign had been in it their entire lives. For example, there's one lady who joined with her parents when she was six. She's now fifty-four. The whole 'save the planet' thing has never really been for me. My parents knew that, and that was why they decided to move us back to Lima.

When they told me we were moving back here, they said it like it was the greatest moment of my life. I was born in Lima, but my parents joined the campaign when I was only two, so I don't actually remember anything about this place. Besides, it's been nearly fifteen years since I've been here, so it has obviously changed. To me this wasn't 'home'. It was to mum and dad, they were both born and raised here. I'm sure they had a lot of old friends in this dump, but to me it was yet another foreign place. I would have to meet new people and make new friends and join new clubs and overcome the 'hippie' label and find a place where I fit in _all over again_.

I would've been happy if I could've just stayed in Kentucky. It was the place we'd been in the longest and I had friends there, I had a life, hell, there was even a _boy _(isn't there always). He doesn't really count as a reason to stay there anymore, since he moved nearly two months ago. I don't know where he went and he never gave me a number to call him on. It made me feel kinda shitty, actually. It was like he didn't want me to contact him. Nothing much I can do about it now, though. I guess he just didn't like me as much as he said he did. Oh well, I just had to move on. So, maybe this will be good for me. A fresh start, away from the memories of the first boy I let into my heart. Then again, I'm pretty over 'fresh starts', God knows I've had enough of them. I'd just like to settle down somewhere and have a real life.

So that led me to where I am now; walking down the bustling halls of William McKinley High School as I tried to find the principal's office. I had a map, but I failed geography so it really wasn't much help. I looked up at the rooms around me. A plaque on one of the door's read '_Emma Pillsbury, Guidance Counsellor_'.

I looked inside the small office and saw a lady there that looked too young to be a guidance counsellor. She had short red hair and was wearing a polka-dotted dress that looked like it was from the sixties. She looked nice, so I knocked on the door. I didn't want my first encounter here to be with a horrible teacher.

She looked up at me with a small smile on her face.

"Hello um…," she trailed off upon realising she didn't know my name, "I'm not sure I've met you before."

"Oh, I'm new here. My name is Avery Martin," I returned the smile.

"It's nice to meet you. Welcome to William McKinley. Come in, sit down," she gestured to the chair in front her desk.

"Oh, no, it's alright I'm not here for guidance," I said with a dismissive wave of my hand. "Well, I am, but in the directional sense, not in the counselling sense,"

Her smile turned slightly confused. "Okay…"

"Could you please show me the way to-" I looked down my transfer forms to find the name of the principle, "-Mr Figgins' office, please?"

"Sure," she smiled brightly again, "you just go down to the end of the hall and turn left,"

"Okay, thanks," I turned to leave, but her voice stopped me. I faced her again and she handed me a pamphlet that read '_So You're The New Kid'_ and had a picture of a boy being excluded from some games.

"I know being new can be tough, so if you ever need to talk you know where my office is," she said, smile never leaving her face.

I'd moved so many times I was way past the guidance counselling stage, but she looked too innocent for me to tell her. Instead, I just said thanks and headed down the hallway, turning left like Ms Pillsbury said to, and there it was. The lady at the reception desk told me to head in.

Principle Figgins was a short, Indian man and I had to force myself not to gag because his whole office smelt like week-old curry.

"You must be the new student, Avery Martin," he said with an accent so strong I could barely tell what he was saying, "please, take a seat,"

I sat down hesitantly and handed him my transfer forms. He said nothing more as he read the transcripts. Wordlessly, he ushered in the lady at the reception desk. He handed her the papers and she handed me a timetable.

"This is your class schedule. Ah, and here is Brittany S. Pierce," he announced her arrival happily, like it was some great honour. "Thank you for coming, Brittany. This is our new student Avery Martin,"

"Hi, Avery Martin, I'm Brittany S. Pierce, otherwise known as Brittney Spears. I'm your Senior Class President and I'll be showing you around McKinley high," she said cheerily.

She was tall, blonde and wearing a red and white cheerleading uniform. It figures that a cheerleader would be Senior Class President. Like all schools, this one is obviously run by the cliques and if you aren't popular, you're nobody.

"Hi, Brittany S. Pierce," I replied with a small wave and followed her out of the room.

She showed me the classrooms first, stopping to tell me something about each one; like how she was always afraid that the loud voice of the science teacher would scare the tiny Martians that lived on the model of the solar system that hung from the roof. Next we walked out to the football field and she told me the story of when the football team and the Glee Club banded together to perform a mash-up of _Thriller_ and _Heads Will Roll_ while dressed as zombies for the half-time show. And then there was the cafeteria where the Glee Club performed a Go-Go's song and started a huge food fight. Then the gym that held two sex riots, both caused by the glee club. This really made me question what kind of school I was going to.

"It's lunch time now," Brittany said, "and since you don't have any friends, you can sit with me,"

"Uh, thanks for the offer but I don't think I'd be welcome at the cheerleader table," I said a little nervously. I didn't have a very good track record with cheerleaders. Apparently they don't like opinions. Who knew?

"Oh, I don't sit with the cheerleaders," she told me, looking at me as if I was stupid.

"Then who do you sit with?"

"The Glee Club," she said with a bright smile. For some reason I was even more nervous but since this move was permanent, I couldn't exactly afford to turn down potential friends.

"Okay, um, sure," I smiled back at her.

"Great!" she cheered and led me back to the cafeteria.

We sat down at one of the long tables. There were already at least twelve other people there. It was daunting, to say the least. There were a mixture of races and styles at the table. If you didn't see it firsthand, you never would've thought that this group of people would be in the same club, let alone friends that even sit together at lunch.

As we neared the table, I heard a voice that I hadn't heard in, hell, two months. I would know that bad Sean Connery impression anywhere. I looked across the table and saw the familiar blonde hair. He looked up from the person he was talking to and his eyes locked on mine. I could see that he was surprised to see me too and I tried to slow my heartbeat when the edges of his mouth tugged upwards in a barely-there smile – the same smile that made me notice him in the first place. It was like a thousand feelings all came back to me in one glance. Here he was; the guy I'd fallen so hard and fast for. The guy that left without a word. The guy that I never thought I'd ever see again.

Sam Evans.


	2. chapter two

**{Sam's POV}**

When Finn and Rachel came to Kentucky to bring me back to Lima, I felt like everything was falling into place. I could be home with all my friends and… Mercedes. What we had over the summer was amazing. When I first joined glee, I never thought that I'd even be friends with Mercedes, let alone fall in love with her. I had a plan; I would show up, sing a song, and then confess my still-there feelings to her. But I guess, ever plan has a flaw. One flaw in my plan? Well, I didn't exactly count on her having a new guy, that's for sure. I said I was going to fight to keep her and that I didn't care how bad her boyfriend was but to be honest, he kind of scares me. I mean, he is _huge_, not to mention on the football team. How can I compete with that? I just had to win her over again. I've done it once I can do it again, right? Yeah… That wasn't working all that well. Mercedes seems really into this _Shane_ guy, which really sucks. Another flaw I never would've _ever_ saw coming; Avery Martin.

I gotta say, seeing _her_ at McKinley was like a slap in the face. I guess you could say she was my rebound from Mercedes. When my family moved out of Lima and away from the girl I had just fallen in love with, I felt lost. I didn't know what to do, so I transferred my feelings for Mercedes and my frustration from leaving my friends into the first pretty girl I met. That girl was Avery. I think somewhere along the line those feelings became real. Just when I realised it, Finn and Rachel were at my door, ready to take me back to Lima and the girl I left in the first place. I only thought about Avery for like, two seconds, before my mind was filled with Mercedes.

Seeing her again though, I remembered why I liked her in the first place. I felt it again. My heart skipped a beat and my breath hitched. Then it was gone. Well, not _gone_, I guess, just supressed maybe, because Mercedes came into the cafeteria with Shane. God, I hate the guy. I think… I mean, I hate that he's with Mercedes but it's not like I _actually_ dislike him. He's actually a funny dude. Maybe I'm just not the type to hold grudges against people; I mean, I even forgave Quinn and Finn for what they did to me.

"Glee Club, this is the new girl," Brittany introduced Avery to all of us, "New girl, this is the Glee Club. There, now you have friends," she smiled proudly to Avery.

Avery looked at her and nodded. I chuckled a little at the way she looked at Brit. I knew the look. It was the look that said 'I have no idea what you're talking about but let's go with it'. She gives me the same look whenever I talk to her about Avatar, which only makes me talk about it more because, well, it's kinda cute.

"Her name's Avery," I spoke up knowing Brittany thought she'd already introduced Avery, and the girl in question was too shy to do it herself.

"How do you even know that?" Tina asked.

"Because we know each other," I replied casually. Avery blushed a little.

"We met in Kentucky," she confirmed, finally speaking. She spoke to everyone but only looked at me, as if she were trying to figure something out.

"Well, I'm Santana Lopez," Santana introduced herself, holding out a hand which Avery shook.

"It's nice to meet you," Avery said.

Santana shrugged, "Any friend of my girlfriend is a friend of mine, I guess,"

I let out a small chuckle at Avery's gobsmacked expression.

"Brittany is you girlfriend?" She asked, making sure she understood correctly. Santana quickly got defensive.

"Yes, and if you have a problem with that I suggest you walk away now,"

"Oh, no I don't have a problem with it at all. I've just never met a lesbian before and well, to be honest, I expected a mullet and flannel. Not a cheerleader,"

Santana smiled and nodded in understanding.

"I'm Artie," Artie waved and after, everyone else introduced themselves.

"Rory,"

"Quinn,"

"Tina,"

"Mike,"

"Finn,"

"Rachel,"

"Kurt,"

"Blaine,"

"Joe,"

"Noah, but everyone calls me Puck," Puck said with a flirtatious wink. The wink made Avery smile a little and bite her lip. I know Puck flirts with everything with two boobs and a brain (brain preferred but not necessary) but for some reason, seeing him flirting with _her_ made me feel…uneasy.

"Got it," she nodded back to Puck. "So, you guys are all in the Glee Club?"

"Yeah," Sugar nodded, moving over and gesturing for Avery to sit with her. "I'm Sugar Motta and I have self-diagnosed Asperger's,"

"It's nice to meet you," Avery told her in a voice that said she wasn't quite sure whether or not it _was_ nice to meet her.

"So, what are you good at?" Sugar questioned, taking a scoop of her jelly cube into her mouth.

"I don't know. I'm not really that good at anything really," Avery shrugged.

I knew for a fact that was a lie. She was good at physics – not that she'd ever admit to it and could read faster that nearly anyone I know. She could half play guitar, play piano and even sing. I mean, she was no Rachel Berry and she had nothing on Santana's raspy tone or Quinn's smooth alto, but she had a voice. Maybe I could even get her to join Glee Club.

"She can sing," I told Sugar nonchalantly. Avery shot me a 'why the hell'd you say that' look, but I ignored it. Sugar smiled and clapped her hands together happily.

"You should join Glee Club!"

"I don't think-" Avery was cut off by another – louder - voice.

"Yes!" it was Brittany. Our Senior Class President then added happily; "and then you can hang out with all of us,"

"I'm already hanging out with you…" Avery's statement sounded like a question.

"But that's just for today," Brittany said seriously, "I mean, we have to stick to the cliques otherwise its total chaos,"

We all knew that by even _being_ in Glee Club we were messing with the cliques, but Brittany was right. Not being in a clique causes chaos for everyone. While we may've caused chaos by being a Cheerio, or a jock, or a goth, or whatever, that joined Glee Club, it didn't matter because while we _were_ all so different; we were a part of something. We had a place where we belonged at this school and that place may be six feet under, it was still something we had in common. It was _ours_.

"Oh, well-" whatever excuse she was about to make was cut off by the bell signalling the end of lunch. We all stood up and headed to the choir room since it was time for Glee.

"Hey, Ave," I called out using her old nickname.

"Y-Yeah?" she replied seeming a little dazed.

"Sugar was right; you should audition for Glee Club," I suggested as we started walking.

"Sam, I don't know if that's a good idea," she said with a slight frown.

"Why not? You have a nice voice and I _know_ you love music,"

"I do, but that's not it," she explained. I raised my eyebrows, urging her to go on, "Okay, people in clubs; you're like a family, right?" I nodded because she was right. Glee was my family. "Right. Well, I've learnt from previous experience that nine times out of ten; clubs don't like newcomers. They get defensive and treat you like you're some kind of terrorist bomber about to explode their home (this made me think back to when Rachel scared away Sunshine) and you aren't welcome. It sucks, yes, but I can't just transfer in the middle of the year and expect to be welcomed right away,"

"Yeah, but that's the thing about Glee! Everyone's welcome. When I was homeless, they helped me out. When Quinn got kicked out of home, Merce-" I barely stopped myself from saying her name.

Avery knows about my history with Mercedes and while we were together when I told her, I repeatedly told her I was over her; I've moved on. Not long before I left Kentucky to come back to Lima, it became obvious that I hadn't moved on as much as I thought and the subject of Mercedes Jones was a touchy one for Avery.

I quickly said "One of our members let her live with them. I mean, that club is absolutely full of drama, trust me, but if anyone doesn't fit in with this school's lame social pyramid, they're welcomed in Glee. Besides, this week's assignment is Taylor Swift and if I remember correctly she's your idol," I finished with a knowing smile.

She was looking at me with a smile she was trying desperately to contain.

"Okay fine!" she said, giving in like I knew she would.

I held out my arm and she linked hers through with a small laugh.

"This way, milady," I said childishly and led her to the choir room.


	3. chapter three

___**"**_Abc**" ****= Avery singing.**

**The song in this chapter is "Come In With the Rain" by (duh) Taylor Swift.**

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**{Avery's POV}**

I _cannot_ believe I let Sam talk me into this. Well, I guess I can. He has this ability to be able to convince me to do pretty much anything. He would just start talking and I'd get lost listening to his voice, and his pretty blue eyes and shiny hair and I'd get distracted and just agree.

"Mr Schuster," Sam said as we approached a middle-aged man who had dark, curly hair and was wearing a vest that went out of fashion ten years ago.

"Sam, hey," he smiled and then pointed to me. "Who's this?"

"This is Avery Martin. She just transferred here and I was wondering if she could try out for Glee? I know we aren't holding auditions right now and it's late notice, what with Nationals coming up and all, but I met her in Kentucky and she _can _sing. Besides, she could really use some friends," Sam said, barely taking any breaths.

"Uh," he cast me an unsure glance, "sure, why not? It's Taylor Swift week, so – if you know any – why don't you audition with one of her songs?"

I smirked to myself. As Sam said, Taylor Swift was my idol and I knew all of her songs backwards. The reason why I like her so much, is because she really is all about the music. So what if she doesn't have the best voice? Yes, sometimes she's flat, or pitchy, or off-key, but she refuses to use auto-tune (like most other musicians nowadays) because to her, it isn't about how good she sounds – it's about getting the message across; whatever that message may be.

Right now, my message was one to Sam. I need to let him know that I'm not over him yet and I want to get him back.

Mr Schuster walked to the centre of the room, gesturing me to come and stand with him. I was bad with introductions. I don't like the feeling of people staring at me like they're trying to understand me. I felt some comfort at the closeness of Sam standing beside me. To get rid of my nerves, I tried to focus only on the heat radiating off of him and the sweet smile he was sending me.

"Everyone, this is Avery Martin," Mr Schuster introduced.

"We know, we met her at lunch," an Asian girl (Tina, I think) said.

"Well, I didn't," a girl I didn't recognise said from the back of the class. She smiled brightly at me. "I'm Mercedes Jones. It's great to meet you and welcome to McKinley,"

Her name echoed in my mind and my breath caught in my throat. Suddenly, every thought I had of me and Sam getting back together was ruined because I new I couldn't compete with her. She was all he talked about for two straight weeks. Whenever I tried to get to know him, I would ask a question and he would reply with something that always ended up being a story about her. I guess I didn't blame him though; she was pretty, I have to give her that. Sure she was a little on the bigger side but I'm not exactly a twig either. She seemed friendly, too. Just his type I suppose. But I don't blame her either. It's not her fault Sam moved to Kentucky and met me and that I had stupidly fallen for him when he was so obviously still into someone else.

I think Sam sensed my tension, because he was now looking at me with a concerned look. He knew this would've upset me but it wither slipped his mind or he didn't care. I hoped it was the former.

I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat and replied with "Thanks, it's great to meet you too,"

"Well, now that we all know each other," Mr Schuster clapped his hands together happily, "it's time for your audition,"

My message changed. Yes, I wasn't over Sam and _yes_ I want him back, but there's nothing more that I can do. I tried my hardest to make him return my feelings, but as long as she's here I know I'm just going to look like a sad schoolgirl with a pathetic crush. I could stand on a table and scream my feelings for him, but if she was in the room he wouldn't even give me a second glance. I know this. I don't have any illusions that he's just going to choose me over her, but I could still hope right?

"Just tell the pianist, Brad, what you want to sing. He's like a musical encyclopaedia. I swear he knows every song ever written," Sam told me quietly with his adorable goofy smile, "if you get nervous, just look at me and pretend it's just us. Okay? Just think about the time we babysat the rug-rats," he squeezed my shoulder for luck and took a seat in the front row.

I asked Brad if he knew the song I wanted and smiled when he said he did. I walked back to the centre of the choir room and felt butterflies in my stomach. I'm usually quite confident when it comes to singing, so I think it has something more to do with the encouraging smile Sam is shooting me. I know it was inconvenient for me to audition halfway through the year, so I wanted to make Sam proud. I wanted to make them _all_ proud.

I smiled at the memory of babysitting his little brother and sister. That was a good day. We were supposed to have our first date, but both of his parents got called in for job interviews so he had to babysit. He tried calling our date off, but I offered to help him babysit. We sang a few songs for them, until Stacy joined in, clapping along, and then Jack too, playing on a drumkit we made out of boxes. We practised a few songs and put on a mini concert for his parents one they'd got back. Even though Sam doesn't think it counts, I still think of that as our first date. It was perfect to me.

I took a deep breath as the first lines of the intro were played and soon enough, I started to sing.

"_I could go back to every laugh, but I don't wanna go there anymore. And I know all the steps up to your door, but I don't wanna go there anymore."_

My eyes found Sam's.

"_Talk to the wind, talk to the sky, talk to the man with the reasons why, and let me know what you find."_

He still had the shadow of a smile on his face, but I think he realised that I was singing this to him.

"_I'll leave my window open, 'cause I'm too tired at night to call your name. Just know I'm right here hoping, that you'll come in with the rain."_

I took a deep, shuddering breath. I didn't realise how close to home this song actually hit.

"_I could stand up and sing you a song, but I don't wanna' have to go that far. And I, I've got you down, I know you by heart, and you don't even know where I start."_

I smirked at the irony of the first line of the verse. I noticed Sam did too.

"_Talk to yourself, talk to the tears, talk to the man who put you here, and don't wait for the sky to clear."_

I tore my eyes away from Sam's and glanced around the room. Sugar looked at me with pity; like she knew what was going on. A few other people were bobbing to the slow pace of the song.

"_I'll leave my window open, 'cause I'm too tired at night to call your name. Oh, just know I'm right here hoping, that you'll come in with the rain."_

I looked back at Sam, like my body was on autopilot.

"_I've watched you so long, screamed your name. I don't know what else I can say."_

His eyes softened when he realised what I was trying to say.I nearly felt bad.

"_But I'll leave my window open, 'cause I'm too tired at night for all these games. Just know I'm right here hoping, that you'll come in with the rain."_

The whole room was still as the last few notes played.

"_I could go back to every laugh, but I don't wanna' go there anymore…"_

There was nothing except for Sam once the song ended. No one spoke. No one clapped. No one moved. There was nothing but the sound of my panting breath and Sam's sad, almost apologetic, gaze. A loud, slow clap forced me to look away. Mr Schuster was clapping, a smile forming on his face. The rest of the room broke into applause and Mr Schu came and stood beside me.

"That was really good!" he said, sounding surprised, as if he expected me to suck. He clapped me on the shoulder proudly. "Your vocals could still use a little coaching, but you definitely have the emotion,"

_You have no idea._

A girl I vaguely recognised stood up from her seat beside an over-grown man and walked up to me. Rachel, I think was her name.

"Well done, Avery," she smiled, although it seemed more out of politeness than honesty. "It was a really good first effort. Some of your lines were flat, and your vocals were quite thin at some parts, but we can work on that. I could always use more backup; a star always shines brighter against a blacker sky, right? I think I speak for everyone when I say; welcome to Glee Club,"

I didn't quite get her star metaphor, but it sounded kind of insulting. Did she mean that she needs bad singers to make her look better? Oh well. I figured then that I would never understand this girl.

"Thanks, I think,"

She smiled more genuinely and quickly hugged me. Suddenly, the rest of the room did the same. Everyone sheered and congratulated and welcomed me, hugging me and hi-fiving me. Everyone except Sam. He just sat in the same seat, looking guiltily down at the floor. I felt my smile falter.

The whole time we were together (even though it was only a few months) all I did was try and get his attention. I tried as hard as I could to get his mind off of her and every so often it worked, but there's nothing left I can do now. If he still wants me, it's up to him to come to me because I've done as much as I can.


End file.
